Expired Mistletoe and the Snark / Don't Mess with a Hostage Wearing Glasses

Harry sincerely apologized, hesitated for a moment, then took out a tissue to wipe Luna Lovegood's cheeks, which the girl did not refuse.

Today is the day before Valentine's Day, which is also Luna Lovegood's birthday. Harry didn't organize a similar birthday party like last year... because Hermione rejected the suggestion.

The academically gifted girl had been pushing Luna Lovegood onto Harry around noon, and then she disappeared. Before she vanished, she only told Harry to keep 'her family's Loony '.

Harry was speechless at this form of address.

It seems he no longer needs to guess; in the second match ten days from now, Hermione's most important person will definitely not be herself.

Hermione's actions put Harry in a rather awkward position. She told him to keep her company, but how was Harry supposed to do that?

Should I take Luna Lovegood to watch the Occamy hatch its eggs, or should I just skip class and take her to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop?

Finally, Luna Lovegood herself suggested that she could skip class to help Harry with alchemy.

This was a decision that surprised Harry quite a bit, because some of the alchemical research Harry had been doing recently could only be described as wicked.

Alchemy, which involves blood, flesh, and magic, is something even the Severus Snape, whose offices are filled with corpse specimens, finds difficult to accept; and Harry's teacher, Nicolas Flamel, repeatedly warned him to be extremely cautious!

However, Luna Lovegood was unusually receptive to these things, even going so far as to use a microscope to help Harry observe Nagini's blood and assist him in using the Sorcerer's Stone for transmutation... and then she got sprayed in the face.

However, Harry is currently in a rather poor position. This blood transmutation requires complete concentration, but Harry has too many things to think about lately, and even if he chants "Clear Mirror Still Water" in his mind, it is difficult to maintain absolute focus.

"Would you like me to do a divination for you and see what's bothering you lately?" Luna Lovegood asked with concern, noticing Harry's poor condition.

"Uh, that's not necessary, is it?"

Harry was about to refuse, but Luna Lovegood had already blown a puff of smoke into the pipe, creating a phantom cloud in front of them.

"Is it Graphorn?" Luna Lovegood nodded thoughtfully upon seeing the creature in the mist. "It seems this is what's been bothering you... You may be facing a fork in the road."

The Graphorn has two golden horns, which represent the number 2 in Runes, so Luna Lovegood's interpretation is correct.

But... the choice of forking?

I only have one decision to make right now, so what's the point of splitting my mind like that...?

"So... if we continue to investigate the cause of this matter, it's... the Runespoor?"

Luna Lovegood seemed to want to delve deeper, but when the phantom of a three-headed giant serpent appeared in the mist, she seemed to lose all interest in interpreting it and waved her hand to disperse the white mist.

"Runespoor represent the number three?" Harry asked curiously.

"It doesn't mean anything. If the Know-it-all had gotten this result, she might have preferred to have one of the heads bitten off," Luna Lovegood replied sullenly, her expression as if she were about to throw a tantrum.

"What's going on now?"

Harry scratched his head, puzzled, but Luna Lovegood had already cleaned up the alchemy table with Scouring Charm and seemed ready to leave.

"I think we should call it a day; there's no point in continuing." After tidying up, Luna Lovegood suddenly came up to Harry and extended her hand to him.

"And what about my gift?"

"Oh, here it is." Harry suddenly realized what was happening and quickly took out the gift he had prepared beforehand from his ring.

It was a pair of glasses with a very fancy design, resembling a colorful owl.

"Spectrespecs?" Luna Lovegood casually took the gift Harry handed her. "They're not the same style as the ones Dad made. Looks like they're not just a freebie from a magazine."

The magazine "The Quibbler" used to give away glasses like these; they were gadgets made by Xenophilius, who claimed that wearing them would allow people to see Wrackspurt.

But Harry actually thought it was just because the lens material was bad, making everything look like stars in the sky.

Of course, Harry wouldn't try to fool Luna Lovegood with a freebie; this Sickle had been carefully modified by him.

"It really does protect against demons now," Harry explained with a smile. "I've imbued it with my magic, so when you wear it, it will prevent interference from spells like Legilimency and Imperius Curse. Also, I added a small Sticking Charm to the back of the temples, making it more secure for your wand."

Hermione has already begun learning Occlumency, but Luna Lovegood hasn't. Of course, it's not that she can't learn it, she just doesn't want to.

So Harry made these glasses especially for her.

She was more accustomed to tucking her wand behind her ear, but this often caused it to fall off when she ran and jumped, so Harry added a little extra design for her.

"That sounds good, thank you." Luna Lovegood put the glasses on her nose with great interest, and at the same time, as she was used to, she put on her wand, only to find that the wand immediately attached to the temple of the glasses.

She shook her head slightly and found that the adhesion would not easily fall off due to external force, but when she tried to remove it with her hand, she could not feel any suction at all.

"This is a lovely gift, but what I'm curious about now is... are there any goggles to protect you from people?" Luna Lovegood suddenly looked up and asked Harry meaningfully.

"What did you say?" Harry looked completely confused.

"It's nothing... let's go." However, Luna Lovegood didn't want to explain in detail, so she just shook her head and left the laboratory first.

"This girl..." Harry could only shrug helplessly and hurried after her.

It's already evening, and although it's not bedtime yet, most students have already returned to the common room, and there's almost no one around in the castle.

Harry and Luna Lovegood walked side by side in the corridor on the Seventh Floor. Neither of them spoke, only the sound of their footsteps echoing in a chaotic rhythm, creating a somewhat quiet atmosphere.

However, as they inadvertently passed the tapestry depicting the Troll hitting Barnabas the Barmy, Luna Lovegood suddenly stopped...

Chapter 690 Expired Mistletoe and Nargle

"Want to go in and take a look?" Harry asked tentatively, noticing Luna Lovegood's hesitation.

I guess so.

"Let's do it together then."

Today is Luna Lovegood's birthday, so Harry will definitely have to grant her request... although it doesn't matter much on other days.

They walked back and forth three times side by side in the corridor in front of the tapestry, and a small door leading to the Room of Requirement appeared on the previously empty wall.

Harry didn't think about what he wanted to see—at least not on his own—because he felt the purpose of the trip was to accompany Luna Lovegood, and Luna Lovegood probably wanted to go to the room where the clutter was stored to see the Mirror of Erised, which was being covered up.

"So you really wanted to come here." However, as they stepped into the Room of Requirement, which resembled a storeroom, Luna Lovegood suddenly said this.

"Huh?" Harry was taken aback. "Why did I have to come? I thought it was..."

"I wasn't thinking anything just now." Luna Lovegood shook her head noncommittally. "So the only reason we're in this room is because you wanted to be here."

"This..." Harry's face fell, wondering to himself when he had ever wanted to come here.

Girl, you're definitely turning the tables on me!

To be fair, it had been a long time since he'd been here. Now, standing before the Mirror of Erised once more, Harry couldn't resist his curiosity and secretly peeked into the mirror.

The mirror originally reflected his and Luna Lovegood's images, but soon their figures began to change, though they seemed to be growing older.

Sigh, this is a little off from expectations... Wait a minute!

Harry suddenly realized what he was doing, regretting it all the time.

Could it be that there's something he actually wants to see?

"You have doubts in your heart, but you're just unwilling to admit them." At that moment, both Luna Lovegood in the mirror and the Luna Lovegood beside him looked at Harry, making it difficult for him to tell who was speaking to him.

"What I'm wondering about..." Harry hesitated and looked at the Magic Mirror again, but then froze on the spot.

Come on... is this really necessary?!

The images displayed by the Mirror of Erised at this moment were absolutely astonishing!

The reflections of him and Luna Lovegood in the mirror show them as adults, but instead of the previous image of constant stomach aches and frustration, they are now tightly embracing, their actions becoming increasingly passionate, rapidly progressing towards a pay-to-view model...

Harry glanced at Luna Lovegood beside him, and thankfully didn't notice anything unusual on her face; it seemed she hadn't seen the same thing as him.

Otherwise, he would have really died on the spot today...

"It seems you're really troubled. Lots of Wrackspurt are constantly buzzing around you. You really need to be careful; don't let them get into your ears, or they'll control your mind."

Luna Lovegood pushed up her Spectrespecs on the bridge of her nose, then reached out and waved her hands vigorously over Harry's shoulders, seemingly trying to ward off anything that might be causing him confusion.

Although her action was unintentional, it had a completely different impact on Harry.

After all, what was happening in the Mirror of Erised... and Luna Lovegood was so close to him. Looking into Luna Lovegood's eyes through the glasses, Harry even felt as if time itself had frozen.

At that moment, his eyes were only on Luna Lovegood, his mind gradually went blank, and his hands even uncontrollably wrapped around Luna Lovegood's waist.

"What's wrong?" The girl's ethereal question pulled him back to reality.

He looked down and saw that Luna Lovegood had her hands on his shoulders, but her face showed no anger or shyness, as if it were a perfectly normal gesture.

"I... I'm sorry~" Harry felt his mind wasn't working properly for a moment, completely unsure whether to let go or... continue?

"I should be the one apologizing," Luna Lovegood shook her head, took off her glasses, and looked at Harry sincerely. "Your troubles all started because of me, but I don't have a good way to help you solve them."

"Actually, it's not like that; it's just that I'm a bit confused myself."

Harry sighed softly. At this moment, he was certain... or rather, he admitted what kind of image he wanted to see in the Magic Mirror.

He actually came seeking guidance, because he was frustrated by his current intractable relationship with Luna Lovegood and wanted to learn from his past self.

What he wanted to see was not the 'future' of the past, but the 'past' of the past.

How did he meet Luna Lovegood, get to know her, and eventually become partners? He hopes that experience can offer him some guidance.

Now... Harry can only doubt himself: are his thoughts really that filthy?

And it must be said, Luna Lovegood actually became quite well-endowed as she grew up, although she was a bit smaller Hermione...

Furthermore, given the current predicament, if things continue to develop this way, I might end up letting Hermione down... although perhaps I already have.

"Actually, you don't need to worry so much. Just let things take their course." Luna Lovegood looked at Harry intently and comforted him softly. "And... I want to thank you, because you really protected me very well, and so did Know-it-all- All. I told you before, I'm not curious about my past experiences, because I know... I'm definitely doing better than I was back then."

"Luna Lovegood... uh, what's this?"

Hearing the girl's words, Harry was moved and softly called her name. But then, he noticed a clump of light green vines suddenly hanging down from above their heads.

A few pure white fruits still hung on the vine, but they were clearly overripe.

"Mistletoe? But why would it be in a place like this, and at this time of year..." Upon seeing the mistletoe, Harry immediately started wandering again.

It is true that there is a tradition in the West where a young girl can stand under mistletoe and be kissed, but the problem is that that happened around Christmas, and now it's already mid-February!

And most importantly, why is this expired mistletoe here?!

So... what should I do now?

The atmosphere had already reached this point, and his hands had been on Luna Lovegood's waist for quite some time, just short of pulling her back.

Now there's another mistletoe plant; it's truly a perfect storm of timing, location, and circumstances...

"I guess it was left here by the Know-it-all. There are a lot of students staying on campus during the Christmas holidays, and they did some decorations while training here." But just then, Luna Lovegood, who was analyzing the situation, suddenly became very serious.

"She really shouldn't have done something so dangerous! There are Nargle in mistletoe!" Luna Lovegood warily pulled Harry away from the mistletoe area. "If you get hooked by its tail, all five thousand teeth will bite at once, and you could easily die! There's mistletoe hanging on the crabapple tree in front of my house, and I'm always very careful when I pass by."

"Oh, this..." Listening to Luna Lovegood earnestly explaining the facts about Nargle to him, Harry suddenly felt like he had just missed out on a fortune...

However, I guess I did manage to gain something today.

Before closing the curtain, Harry glanced at the Mirror of Erised one last time.

It still shows his and Luna Lovegood's shadows, but they've reverted to their teenage appearance.

They are holding hands, smiling happily at each other...

Chapter 691 The Hostage with Glasses is Not to Be Messed With

"I still can't believe you actually failed?!"

The next day—Valentine's Day— Hermione didn't stop complaining about Harry until the evening when the two Granger were preparing for their performance.

Hermione thought Harry's operation was a complete failure. Good grief, I even withdrew from the operation, and this is what you give me?

You're so naive! You let the bird fly away even though it was already in your mouth. When you got me back then, how come I didn't know you were so innocent?

Harry's consistent response to Hermione's series of complaints was... "Why don't you try it yourself?"

Although Luna Lovegood always stared with her big eyes, seemingly curious about everything, she actually exuded an air of detachment from worldly affairs and a profound understanding of everything.

No matter what Harry did, it seemed impossible for her to become truly curious, and there was no way to expect her to respond positively like a normal girl would...

"Besides, you're my own wife. Is it really okay for you to seduce me into making a mistake like this?"

Harry was utterly speechless and couldn't understand why Hermione would willingly allow him to pursue Luna Lovegood... and even offer to help him.

Besides, if it weren't for that unexpected mistletoe, he might have succeeded long ago... Of course, Harry kept this to himself.

"Mind your own business!" Hermione gave Harry a disdainful yet smug look. "Just admit you're no good. You can't handle it even with my help. You're not as good as me. I slept with that Loony on her very first day she came to our house!"